Neutral bar assembly



Jan. 3, 1961 Filed Deo. 3l, 1956 s. soRl 2,967,287

NEUTRAL BAR ASSEMBLY -2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L, l 4Z 4@ 44 2A 46 Jan. 3, 1961s. soRl NEUTRAL BAR ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'Filed Dec. 51, 1956 /ZTra/@NWI United States Patent O NEUTRAL BAR ASSEMBLY Salvatore Sori,Woodbury, NJ., assigner to I-T-E Circuit Breaker Company, Philadelphia,Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 31, 1956, Ser. No. 631,552

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-198) My invention relates to an electrical connectorfor electrically connecting a plurality of electrical conductors to acommon potential.

A primary object of this invention is to provide the above describedtype of device to be hereinafter described as a neutral bar assemblywhich utilizes standardized components for any required number ofterminal positions and is simply and economically manufactured.

More specically, the complete assembly is supported from a supportmember and comprises first and second neutral insulating bases which areof identical construction and are fastened to the support member throughan insulating liner.

Each neutral base has apertures therein in identical positions, whichapertures receive and support a neutral bar of conductive material. Theneutral bar has means associated therewith such as terminal openings forconnecting to the various current conductors which are to be co-nnectedat the same isolated potential. If desired, this neutral bar could be atube of copper having apertures therein for receiving the conductiveleads and a respective wire pressure screw appropriately positioned withrespect to each of said apertures for maintaining the conducto-r rigidlyfastened within its respective aperture.

Thus, a tube of copper having the required apertures and screw holes maybe cut to lengths in accordance with the number of lead wires to beconnected to a common potential. The two identical neutral bases arethen positioned at either end of the bar and receiving the bar in theirrespective apertures to support the copper bar from the support ininsulated relationship therewith by virtue of the insulating linerinterposed between the bases and the support as well as by theinsulating bases.

If it is desired to ground the neutral bar to the support member, it ispossible to have a bonding screw protrude through and engage the neutralbar and pass through the liner into engagement with the supportstructure. Thus, an electrical engagement will be completed between theneutral bar and the support member by the bonding screw.

Accordingly, an important object of my invention is to provide a novelneutral bar assembly.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel neutral barassembly which offers simple manufacture and easy installation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel connecting meansfor connecting a plurality of current conductors to one another in aconvenient manner.

These and other objects of my invention will become apparent from thefollowing description when taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich:

Figure 1 shows a perspective View of the neutral bar assembly of myinvention when mounted to an enclosure wall or support member.

Figure la shows a perspective view of a modified neutral bar assembly ofmy invention.

Figure 2 shows a top plan view of the neutral bar.

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Figure 2-A shows a side view of Figure 2 when taken across the lines2A-2A.

Figure 3 shows a front view of the assembled device of Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows atop view of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows a side view of Figure 3.

Figure 6 shows a front view of an embodiment of Figure 1 wherein abonding screw serves the dual function of bonding the neutral bar toground as well as fastening one neutral base to the support,

Figure 7 shows an electrical diagramof an application of my novel deviceto a single phase system.

Referring lrst to Figure 7, it is seen that an electrical circuitcomprising the transformer 20 has a center tapped secondary Winding 22which energizes a first and second load 24 and 26 respectively throughthe circuit interrupting devices 28 and 30 respectively.

In some cases, the center wire 32 as well as conductor leads 34 and 36of loads 24 and 26 respectively are connected to a common potential andthis common potential is then brought to the ground potential of theground lead 3S. In order to do this, each of the conductor leads 32, 34,36 and 38 are interconnected by means of the current carrying member orneutral bar 40.

In common practice, the circuit breakers 28 and 30 are mounted within acommon enclosure as indicated by the dotted box 31, and it is desirablethat wires 32, 34, 36 and 38 be connected within the enclosure as seenin Figure 7.

The essence of my invention is to construct a neutral bar assembly or anassembly for carrying the bar 40 in an insulated relationship withrespect to conductive materal adjacent the neutral bar and to allow aconvenient method for interconnecting lead wires to be connectedtogether within an enclosure such as the enclosure 31 of Figure 7.

A rst embodiment of my novel invention is set forth in Figures 1, 3, 4and 5 which are perspective, front, top and side views respectively.

In each of these gures the neutral bar 40 (Figures 2 and 2-A) iscomprised of a tube of conductive material having apertures 42, 44, 46and 48 therein which are adapted to receive the leads of electricalconnectors and also have wire pressure screws 50, S2, 54 and 56respectively for cooperating with their respective apertures to insure agood connection between the respective conducting leads and the neutralbar 40.

This neutral bar 40 is mounted on and supported by an enclosure wall 3lby means of the two identical neutral insulating bases 58 and 60, whichare positioned at either end of the neutral bar 40, by means of mountingscrews 64 and 66 respectively as is best seen in Figure 3. The neutralinsulating liner 62 is interposed between bases 58 and 60 and enclosurewall 31 to provide further dielectric separation between the bar I4t)and the enclosure 31, if required.

Each of the neutral bases 58 and I60 has trst apertures 68 and 70respectively, and second apertures 72 and 74 respectively therein. Eachaperture, as may be best seen in Figure 5 for the case of aperture 72,is shaped to cooperate with the cross sectional shape of the neutral bar40.

Thus, the neutral bar may be easily and simply inserted Within one ofthe apertures 68 or 72 of neutral base S8 or apertures 70 or 74 ofneutral base 60' depending upon the relative positioning of either ofthese bases.

In order to `assemble the device, a length of neutral bar is cut inaccordance with the required number of terminal positions which is givenby the number of conductors which are to be connected to a commonpotential for a given application. This predetermined length ofconductor is then inserted in the respective apertures of 3. neutralbases 53 and 6G, and the neutral bases are fastened to the liner.

it is to be noted that neutral base S could be first fastened to thesupport 31 and have the left-hand end of neutral bar 46 vinserted inaperture 72. The'neutral base 60 may then be brought into position sothat the right-hand end of neutral bar 4@ is inserted within aperture 70and the base 6th may thereafter be fastened in position by means of itsmounting screw 66.

Clearly, the liner 62 has apertures therein to pass the requiredmounting screws.

Hence it is clear that my neutral bar assembly is easily adjusted toaccommodate as many terminals as is required by merely using appropriatelength of a neutral bar. Furthermore, the neutral bases 5S and 6d areinterchangeable and are fastened to the support dit at whatever pointnecessary as given by the particular length of the neutral bar 40.

If desired, it is then possible to pass a bonding screw such as thebonding screw S2, as best seen in Figure 3, and into engagement withsupport 3l. The effect of this bonding screw 82. provides a bondedneutral and brings the potential of neutral bar 49 to the potential ofthe support of enclosure 31.

hile Figures 3 and 4 show the bonding screw 82 as being fastened to thesupport 3l and positioned intermediate between fastening screws 64 and66, Figure 6 shows that the screw S2 could be so positioned as tofurther serve the purpose of mounting screw 64. That is to say, bondingscrew 82 could provide the bonded neutral as well as provide thefastening between neutral base S8 and the liner 62.

ln Figure la, I have illustrated a modified embodiment of the neutralbar assembly of Figure l. In the embodiment of Figure la all componentscorresponding to the components of Figure l are identified by a similarnumeral with a prime. Thus, two identical bases 5S and 6b are providedto support the neutral bar 40. The embodiment of Figure la differs fromthat of Figure l in that the neutral bases S8 and 66 do not requireopenings to receive the neutral bar 40 4 since this unit is supported ontop of the bases in any desirable manner.

Although I have described preferred embodiments of my novel invention,many variations and moditications will now be obvious to those skilledin the art, and I prefer therefore to be limited not by the specificdisclosure herein but only by the appended claim.

I claim:

A neutral bar assembly for electrically connecting a plurality ofconductors; said neutral bar assembly comprising a irst and a secondbase of insulating material, a common member, a neutral bar, and aneutral liner interposed between said bases and said common member, a-first and a second member fastening said first and said second bases,respectively, to said common member; each ot said iirst and second baseshaving a iirst and a second opening therein; said neutral bar having alirst end supported in the lirst of said openings of said irst base andanother end supported in the second of said openings of said secondbase; said neutral bar comprising a length of conductive material havingapertures therein for respectively receiving electrical conductors andmeans for applying pressure between said electrical conductors and saidneutral bar when said conductors are inserted in said apertures; saidtirst and second bases having identical constructions and beinginterchangeable with one another; said iirst member comprising arotatable screw for electrically connecting said bar to a point ofpredetermined electric potential; said screw being passed throughcooperating apertures in said neutral bar and said tirst base and beingterminated in said common member supporting said iirst and second bases.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,511,995 Robertson et al June 20, 1950 2,643,363 Robertson et al. lune23, 1953 2,748,365 Speck May 29, 1956 OTHER REFERENCES Can: ElectricalMfg, November 1954, page 228.

